Trust Your Instincts
by The Dark Waltz
Summary: Erik was cursed to immortal life until he found love. One day he comes across a strange young woman that lives her life by following her instincts. Soon Erik finds himself on an adventure of a lifetime, as he finds Love.
1. 1. Trapdoors & Strange Meetings

The arched ceilings with the carvings of the ancient muses distracted the young woman as the guide moved on with the rest of the group further down the hall. Her eyes followed the carvings and her feet moved her further away from the tourist group.

She followed the carvings up the grand staircase her eyes trailing up to the massive ceiling above her head her mouth slightly agape in wonder. She wandered down the second story halls grazing over the display cases of costumes from operas long gone.

The crowd around her thinned as her steps took her to the less inviting areas of the opera house. However in her grass-green eyes, they were places mysterious and so she found herself standing in front of a door that lead to a staircase, her hand trying the doorknob only to find it locked. She peered at it staring at the knob until she tried again this time with a firmer grip and the door opened in front of her.

She gave a giggle and then closed the door behind her before she made her way down the spiral mauve steps. Her bright yellow converse clothed feet nearly skipping down the narrow staircase leading deeper into the opera's depths.

\--

He had awoken another day of forever ahead of him. He stood from his crimson bed and got ready for the day, his hand lingering on his black mask on his armoire's shelf. Today he would not wear it. It was an odd sort of instinct that came to him, usually, he wished to hide everything he was but today was just another day in the monotony that had become his existence.

He was cursed to live on, despite the meaning of life evading him.

His steps took him from his home and left it hidden beneath the stones of the underground.

He rarely made his way up into the commonly used floors of the Garnier, for the place was always busy with activity beyond the days when it merely hosted operas and galas. He never thought he would miss those prejudiced years but he missed them all the same.

It was when he found himself in the third cellar that he heard it.

A merry humming coming his way. He peered from the shadows behind the wall he hid, a young woman dressed in bright golden chiffon and tule was skipping her way down the halls. Her sun-kissed locks piled upon her head with little tendrils falling to frame her face that was behind a pair of very large circular glasses. He had turned away from the sight when she suddenly stopped by the alcove that hid the trapdoor he was behind, her head was tilted to the side.

She strode into the alcove a comical grin upon her face as she hid behind the two muse sculptures that framed the space.

As if timed a couple of tour guides passed by the alcove only minutes after she hid. Yet even after they left she still stood facing the back wall her head tilted to the side.

"I wonder…"

Her voice was soft and gentle, her tone almost fragile.

He couldn't help but watch as her hands felt along the wall. He watched through a peephole to the side as she felt along the wall. He knew if she found the way through he would be immediately spotted and yet he wondered if that truly would be the worst thing to happen.

He lived with barely any more excitement. He had seen the cruelty of the world, even as it aged, prejudices and violence still prevailed. Perhaps it was time for a change in his mundane existence.

He wasn't given another chance as the walls shifted and slid open letting in the light from the hallway.

The young woman stepped through the shadows obscuring her features. She didn't even gasp as the trapdoor slid closed behind her. Instead, he peered through the dark and saw her movement as she searched for something in her bag.

"Bingo!" A light lit up the passageway as the girl switched on her torch.

She was well prepared.

His normal urges to kill trespassers had faded overtime only to whisper along with the other voices in his head. But the young woman before him was curious and for that reason, he decided to let her live a little bit longer.

Her shadow began to walk down the passageway carefully before she stopped as if she heard his thoughts bouncing within his head. Her head turned behind her and this time she turned with it. Her light shown on his black leather shoes.

As her light gradually made its way up his body, the opera ghost stood still waiting for the inevitable. A part of him was disappointed that he would have to kill his entertainment so soon, if only she weren't about to see his face.

And yet there was no scream once her torch's light fell upon his face that was nothing more than skin and bone.

Instead her eyes fluttered within her head before she shifted her light to above his head so that the lamp's light would no longer shine straight into his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean to shine that straight into your eyes!"

The opera ghost blinked.

Her pink lips stretched against her teeth as she smiled up at him.

"Would you like to join me on an adventure?"

He could only stare at her, "Are you blind?"

\--

She supposed he didn't look like what she expected but then she didn't really expect much. She never could imagine a face in her daydreams until she had a reference to go by.

He had no nose. She wondered if he could still smell and if not were his taste buds heightened. His face wasn't scarred so she assumed he was born with his peculiarities. In fact, he seemed to fit exactly what she imagined the opera ghost would be, and now with an actual reference, she could fill in his details in her mind's eye.

When he spoke, his voice was deep and dark, but with a smooth accent that was pleasant to her ears. She wouldn't mind hearing him speak more and wondered what his voice would sound like when singing.

"I might wear glasses but I barely need them. I just like how they look." She held her hand out to shake his hand. "You may call me L for the time being, I have only just met you after all."

His nearly glowing ember eyes peered at her through his sunken in eye sockets, they flickered to her hand that still was held in front of him.

As if unsure of his own actions he slowly lifted her hand until they were a breath's distance from his pale thin lips, "A pleasure to meet you, you may call me…" He paused his eyes flickered and for a moment L could only see the stark darkness within his eye sockets with no light to guide her to view his eyes. He tilted his head forward in a small bow over her hand, "You may call me O.G."

\--

O.G. could not believe the young woman before him. She smiled after he had bowed and gave a curtsey in return.

"Enchante." She came up from her curtsey but did not let go of his hand. "So now that we had our introductions would you like to join me on an adventure?"

O.G. had already decided to keep a close eye on the curious girl before him and so his words came out without barely a second thought, "Lead the way, mademoiselle."


	2. 2 Adventures & Promises

They walked through the dark corridors, O.G. watching as L would mark each hallway she departed from with an 'X' written on the wall. She was clever, despite her almost dreamy appearance there seemed to be logic and sense behind her actions.

After an hour of her exploring various hallways, always narrowly missing the few traps he had still set up, O.G. stopped her with his hand upon her cold bared elbow.

She tilted her head back at him her curls falling more freely around her face.

"Where do you wish to go?"

She chewed on her bottom lip as her eyes became unfocused for a moment.

"I don't really have a destination." She shrugged and shivered. "I should have brought a sweater though."

O.G. swept his cloak from his shoulders and settled it upon hers. She pulled it tight around herself before smiling up at him with another one of her almost comically wide smiles.

"Merci." She burrowed half her face into the collar of the cloak only her eyes poking out from it as she took a deep breath before mumbling, "Cloves and old books."

He still heard her but he'd found he had already started to expect her odd musings now. She would remark on patterns she seemed to see in the stones underneath their feet as they walked or the way the archways seemed to always meet up diagonally from others.

"Please let me know if you get cold, we can always share the cloak between the two of us."

She walked ahead but this time O.G. didn't follow her. She wasn't afraid of him and he wasn't sure if he liked that or not.

"Why are you not afraid of me, mademoiselle?"

She rocked back on her heels, back and forth as she turned towards him once more.

"I don't know. I just feel like I don't need to be." The rocking back and forth stopped for a moment. "I suppose others might be scared in my position, but my instinct tells me not to be. And well my instincts have not served me wrong so far."

"Perhaps it would be wiser for you to be afraid."

"Perhaps, but I'm not. So I don't wish to spend the time trying to force myself to feel something I clearly do not feel. What a waste that would be when I could continue to be in awe of the underworld I've discovered."

"I could be criminal hiding from the law, with cruel intentions."

"And yet you have not done anything untoward towards me, instead you have been nothing but a gentleman."

"Perhaps I'm just trying to lull you into a false sense of security."

She shrugged once more the dark fabric of the cloak nearly falling off her shoulders before the grabbed the collar and clasped the cloak to below her neck.

"I've been kidnapped before and I've yet to see the signs from you yet."

O.G. couldn't help his jaw-dropping at her statement, regardless of how out of character it might seem for him.

"Despite your instincts, you were still kidnapped. What use could they truly be?"

"They helped me survive. I tend to be quite distracting when I want to be. I came out with only a couple of scars, it could have been much worse."

The young woman before him continued to surprise him. He couldn't seem to figure her out. She seemed to not have any sense one moment and the other she would sound like a well-balanced individual. This was the most entertained he'd been in...well he couldn't remember how long. Perhaps not since the days when he still haunted the opera.

\--

"What time do you suppose it is?"

L had lost track of how long they'd been exploring. Then she let out an abrupt laugh that she saw her partner slightly jump from.

"I forgot I had my phone with me just for that reason. Being down here feels as if I've gone back in time."

O.G. kindly took her torch from her hand as she searched her bag for her mobile phone.

A bright white light shone from her device as a 'G' showed up on the white screen as she turned it on.

"My goodness, it is already 6:45 pm. Time flew by fast." As if her stomach had awoken it let out a loud gurgle. "No data down here, not surprising."

She turned towards O.G. the light from her phone lighting up her features with an unnatural glow.

"Well, I suppose I'll just have to come back for the rest of my exploring tomorrow." She shuffled her feet and peered up at O.G. almost shy for a moment before her trademark grin flashed across her features. She had gotten used to his presence while she explored. "Do you think we could meet up tomorrow for more exploring?"

He was quiet and for a moment a slight twinge of fear ran up her spine as his two amber globes peered at her unblinkingly. She wasn't afraid of him per say, but his answer.

"I'm sorry if I'm being too forward, but I truly appreciated your company and…" She stopped as he stepped closer to her until he was within reaching distance.

Her eyes peered down at his hands that clenched at his sides before looking back up into his eyes.

\--

She wished to see him again. She wished to see HIM again. O.G. couldn't help the thrill of almost excitement that lit up his veins until he stifled it, his hands clenching at his sides. If he let her go he had no control over what she would say to others, he didn't even know her real name.

"You will come back." It wasn't so much a question as a command, but she didn't seem to flinch or tense from his strong statement.

Instead, her annoyingly cheerful smile graced her petite features once more, it was a smile that seemed almost too big for her small head.

"I promise."

He could always decide what to do with her, once she came back tomorrow. Of course, it all depended if she did, in fact, come back. After giving her back her torch, he briskly walked away before another word could be said. It didn't take long for his form to seem to disappear in the darkness.


	3. 3 Promises Kept & M Destler

He woke from dreams of the cursed fairy that had cursed him. He hadn't dreamt of her for over fifty years. As he lay staring at his canopy's carvings his mind reverted back to his strange encounter the day before, he chided himself for how invested he already was into the strange new thing in his life.

New things only led to more disappointment.

Yet as he got ready for the day, he dressed to be seen above. A modern suit with matching vest and cravat, his stage makeup and flesh colored mask with false nose. He peered down at himself finding his clothes satisfactory for a visit above.

\--

L was ready for a new day of exploring. Dressed in what she called her Indiana Jones outfit, she came upon the Opera Garnier that day in a fedora, tan pants, shirt and anti-theft backpack.

As soon as she stepped through she breathed a large sigh of relief. There was something about this place that set her at ease. It was like coming home after a long journey. She walked experty through the lines of tourists to where yearly ticket holders stepped through and at once found herself in the hallways adorned with every sort of muse and instrument. Their stories whispered to her and she smiled before striding further down one of the halls.

"Mademoiselle!"

L turned around to find one of the staff sprinting toward her.

"Yes?"

"Our manager would like to see you."

L supposed it would be an interesting start of the day.

"Lead the way, monsieur."

The staff member strode forward flicking his eyes behind his shoulder several times to make sure she was still following.

She smiled curious regarding the nervous behaviour.

"Ah thank you Gerard, I'll help the mademoiselle from this point out."

The manager was quite the image of an opera manager. Tall and lean with dark hair and a trimmed mustache. He smiled down at L with a curious gaze.

"So nice to meet the 'femme errante' in person."

L smiled at him, "I didn't realize I had a nickname already."

"You have already come to the Garnier on a regular basis. You are quite hard to miss in the foyers of the opera when everyone else seems to look the same."

"Thank you."

The man nodded his head in response.

"You wished to speak with me?"

"Actually mademoiselle one of our esteemed patrons wished to have a meeting with you." He straightened his back and peered over his nose at L eyeing her almost critally, "He rarely comes to the staff for anything except criticism and reviews of our performances. It was a surprise to find him in my office this morning, asking to find a young woman by your description."

She tilted her head to the side and wondered if the patron was her gentleman from yesterday's outing.

"Where does he wish to meet me?"

"Monsieur Destler will meet you in his box."

"Let me guess Box 5?"

"Exactement. This way." He directed up some stairs to the crimson carpeted marble floors where the opera boxes resided. There in the corner behind a staircase hidden by a partition was the infamous box five's door.

"I leave you here. Good day, mademoiselle."

She nodded in return then faced the door.

\--

He had just closed the column's secret door when the door to the box opened letting in some of the golden light from the hall until it was shut once more. He watched as the shadow walked further into the box before gasping in wonder and running to the edge of the box and looked out at the auditorium.

"It truly is the best seat in the house."

O.G. decided to play a game then. He pitched his voice to whisper into her left ear, "I would not have it any other way."

She turned toward where his voice came from while he stepped out from behind her.

He leaned down his breath ghosting against the back of her neck that lay exposed between the collar of her shirt and the brim of her hat. His smirk lighting itself upon his lips as he saw a shiver run down her sides.

"Be careful that you don't tumble to your death."

His hairless brows rose to the edges of his mask when she spun and faced him, his mask and her face only inches apart. She stared up at him a sparkle in her eyes and a matching smirk upon her lips.

"So Monsieur Destler do you wish to through any more known tropes at me?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your appearance, your mysteriousness, your last name and here I hear you are the largest patron of the opera. If I didn't know better...well no…. I have half a mind to say that you are quite the book trope of them all residing right here at the opera."

She stepped back as she saw him blinking at her and shook her head, "Nevermind."

She sat down on one of the gold gilded crimson cushioned chairs and looked up at his shadowed form.

"Would you like to go on a similar adventure to yesterday? Or…" She grinned and peered at him curiously.

"Or?"

"Would you like to share with me your Paris?"

He sat next to her and crossed his trousered legs.

"I'm sure you have fascinating little niches in Paris that have held your fancy."

"I'm not sure you'd find what I like about Paris...fascinating."

"Try me." She scooted forward on the chair, her elbow upon the arm and her chin rested upon it. "I'm all prepared for whatever you throw at me. I've got pretty much anything needed for an excavation site to a simple hike or walk of the city. I even brought us breakfast and lunch."

Monsieur Destler or O.G. looked at the excited eyes before him and heaved a sigh. He followed his instincts to wear clothes ready for the outside world and look where it had lead him.

\--

They drew more attention walking down the halls of the Opera together than they did once they stepped outside into the noisy modern world. Cars rushed passed, honking from a distance, hackneys drove through the chaos and people sat at the foot of the Academie listening to musicians play.

"Well…"

A small jab in his side alerted O.G. back to his companion.

"Are you going to offer me your arm?" She smiled up at him, a playful smirk at the corner of her lips.

Automatically he held his arm out for her and she placed her small hand in the crook of his arm.

"Off to adventuring we go!"


	4. 4 Hidden Places & Conversations

They found themselves sitting side by side with each other in one of the numerous gardens in Paris, except this one did not have many who had found its sweet smelling walkways lined in rose bushes..

They had just settled with their breakfasts of croissants and water, when L looked at OG from the corner of her eye. He was still very tense, had been since he left the opera, occasionally as a particular loud bicyclist or couple went by he'd tense even tighter.

Thankfully with their quieter surroundings it looked like he was a little bit more at ease. It looked like he was still eating, despite the odd sort of getup he had put on his face. But she was sure it was the only way he would have gone out and so she took him as he was.

"I'd like to play a game of sorts. It's one that I've played before when making friends."

He turned his head towards her.

"I'd like to become your friend, Monsieur Destler."

"I don't do well with friends."

"Well I'm very tolerant." Her smile bloomed once more, "Plus I believe it will help make us more at ease in each other's presence."

A barely concealed snort came from the masked man, "You seem at ease at all times, even when it is not healthy to be so."

"Well you seem tense to the point where its not healthy either, so I guess we make quite the pair."

He stiffened before his shoulders slumped in what could almost be described as, as defeat.

"What are the rules?"

"No rules, simply we take turns asking each other questions. I promise not to ask anything too personal. As a gesture of good will, you may ask the first question."

OG sat back, not all the way for fear of further dirtying his suit from the outdoor bench but enough to relax slightly.

"What has brought you to Paris, mademoiselle?"

"I got a job." She smiled happily thinking about it.

"What kind of job?"

"Ah nope. My turn!"

He let out a low growl.

"If you could live anywhere in the world with no restrictions, social political or otherwise, where would you live?"

Golden eyes flickered to the young woman next to him, who true to her word had not asked any of the personal questions any other normal individual would have regarding his self.

"I haven't ever really pondered where I'd live other than here before, at least not for many years. I used to travel quite a bit in my earlier years, but circumstances caused me to stop for awhile; and before I knew it, I've been here for many years."

"What was your favorite place to visit?"

L gazed up at him with her big green eyes pleading for his tales of farway places and in that moment OG was thankful that they had this quiet corner of Paris all to themselves. The Jardin Saint-Gilles-Grand was a little garden that only the oldest of paris's patrons knew where to find it. They were shaded beneath an arbor of roses and a small labyrinth of rose bushes lay out in front of them.

He let out a chuckle, "It's my turn. What kind of job led you to move to Paris?"

"How do you know I moved?" She smiled smaller this time, her lips in a small pout before she laughed. "I'm an archaeologist slash antiquities expert. I was scouted out by an antiquities dealer here in Paris and after communicating with him for several months, I took the leap and decided to make Paris my new home."

"No family or loved ones holding you back."

This time she shrugged her tan clad shoulder, as she tour a piece of her croissant and placed it into her mouth.

After taking a sip of her water, she turned back to him, "Don't think I didn't see what you did there." L could have sworn that the gentleman before her was very seriously trying to stop a pout of his own. "I come from a very large family, I'm the middle child so I have always learned to take care of myself. They are supportive of whatever I wish to do, as long as I try to keep myself from being kidnapped again."

"You'll have to tell me that story at some point."

"Perhaps." She smiled up at him serenely, before getting up and brushing the crumbs from her lap. "Where to next, monsieur?"

"Have you ever been to National Archives?"

The rest of their day was spent going to little spots all over Paris, often where very few if any tourists surprisingly were. L enjoyed her time with the gentleman beside her, and she believed he had also enjoyed his time.

It came as a surprise then when she woke up on a bus that was taking the route back to the Opera with a note in her pocket saying, "Until if we meet again."


	5. 5 Nadir & the Scholar

It was a week after he'd met the strange young woman, when Erik found himself knocking on his one companion. The only other one that had been cursed to be as he was, until Erik found love.

"Daroga."

He walked past the bespeckled man, who blinked owlishly at the man who had been pounding on his door at an unearthly hour of the morning. He had barely blinked before Erik had made his way to the sitting room.

"I need you to find someone for me."

"Good morning to you too Erik."

Nadir sat before his old time acquaintance. His eyes swept over his unkempt presence, which was unusual Erik was meticulous about his appearance. And yet here sat Erik the great Opera Ghost with his cravat loosely tied around his neck, skewed to the side; and his vest open and jacket missing a couple of buttons.

"Would you like to have some tea?"

"I don't have time. I told you, I need you to find someone for me."

Nadir gazed at Erik, "Who do you need me to find, at…" He leaned backwards in his chair to view the clock in the hallway, "3 am in the morning."

The opera ghost stilled as he realized where he was, he shook his head and ran a hand through his dark hair speckled with grey. The young woman hadn't been back to the opera. At first, a part of him was relieved but as the days dragged on with no sign of her returning he found himself agitated. Why had he left her on the bus? They had had a wonderful day, so wonderful it had felt like a dream. Then he realized he'd been scared and then the anger came. How could some chit of a girl turn him upside down? He had sworn to never allow something like this to happen again. She had interested him, had made him curious; and while he had been curious he had been captured in her web. He yearned to see her again, but then cursed himself realizing he never got her name. Then came back the fear: what happens if she didn't make it safely back to her new home in Paris? What happens if something had happened to her? It was these thoughts that had led him to Nadir's doorstep early one morning, not even realizing what date or time it was in the real world.

He stood abruptly, making his way to the door.

"Wait! Erik!" Nadir hobbled with his cane toward the door. "At least tell me more about this person, maybe I can help."

This was how they found themselves sitting with tea warming their hands as Erik told Nadir about how he met L.

"She didn't even wince, Nadir! She saw my face but instead of screaming, apologized for shining a light in my eyes."

He told his old acquaintance about how she seemed to have already gotten a reputation at the Opera for being known as the 'wandering girl'. How she wore what she wanted even if it made her stand out. How she had a love for the written word and ancient cultures and languages.

"So you see Nadir, the only person I thought could find her would be you. You run an antiques shop and surely have connections, you'd be able to find her for me."

Nadir peered down into his cup as he listened to Erik's speech. All he could think about was if this is what it felt like to believe in fate or destiny once more.

"Erik, I believe I have just the thing. One moment."

He got up and walked out of the sitting room and down the hall to his office that connected to the shop. When he came back he held a manuscript in his hand.

"This manuscript was written by a Dr. L. Beir. I believe this will help. Please read this, there's something I must do." He got back up from his seat and walked over to a couch with a blanket hanging over its side, before he made his way out of the room.

He returned after ten minutes finding that Erik was nearly half way through the manuscript.

"What do you think?"

"I think this was a waste of time, however I do find the writings of this scholar to be quite profound. The fact that he spent so much time with this tribe in the Sahara, and learned their language and customs is fascinating."

"She."

Erik looked up from the manuscript, "What?"

"She was kidnapped by a group that attacked some archaeologists. The rest of them died but she lived to be sold to the medjai tribe."

Erik's eyes widened, his fingers rapidly turning the pages back to the front looking at the name of the scholar, "Dr L Beir."

"L." He looked up at Nadir.

"She's quite the young woman. Graduated from her high school in her early teens then went off and got her doctorate in archaeology. This was her thesis. I was so fascinated by her detailed writing and experiences that when a colleague showed me it, I had to get in contact with her."

Erik's eyes narrowed but allowed Nadir to continue.

"As you know I've been looking for someone to work with me again at the shop and with my other scholared jobs that I do on the side. When I offered to pay for her move her, she readily agreed."

"L is…"

A loud yawn came from the end of the hallway.

Nadir smiled and just sipped his tea.

Erik stood from his chair frozen waiting for who was coming down the hall.

What met his eyes first were a tower of books and manuscripts in two blanket clad arms.

"Oh, good morning Mr. Nadir. I didn't think anyone would be up."

The person could only teeter slightly in the doorway before noticing another shadow against the wall, "Oh I didn't mean to interrupt anything, I'll head back upstairs."

Unfortunately for the person they tripped over the edge of the rug the books and manuscripts falling from their hands but they were caught before face planting on the floor.

"Wow! Thank you…" they looked down at the feet of the person that caught them, "monsieur."

"L." The one syllable was uttered in a deep voice that the young woman knew by heart already. Her head quickly came up nearly missing his as Erik righted her in front of him, his hands still wrapped around her arms tightly.

"Monsieur Destler."

The blonde blinked before looking to the side where Nadir sat sipping his tea with a smirk on the edges of his lips.

"What a small world."

"It seems we've met again."

"Yes it does." She stepped out of his hold, and looked up at him, fighting a smile that wished to grace her features when she saw familiar gold eyes. "That was quite rude, you know, just leaving like that, that day."

"I apologize, Mademoiselle Beir."

Nadir's eyebrows shot up from behind his cup of tea.

"Ah, you've read my manuscript I see." Her head tilting towards the forgotten project upon the table behind him.

"Yes."

Nadir's grin widened, never before had he seen Erik so very...soft-spoken almost in the presence of anyone except perhaps one of his numerous cats over the near century.

"May I have your full name this time, mademoiselle?"

Nadir leaned forward in anticipation waiting to see Erik's reaction when he at last heard the young woman's name aloud.

L blushed a deep red that made her light blonde hair seem to pale even more.

"It's a bit of an embarrassing name. You have to understand my parents were from the 'free love' hippie era, so all their children received interesting names. Like for instance, my twin's name is Eros and my eldest siblings names are Persephone and Hecate." L sucked in a deep breath, "You have to promise not to laugh."

Erik was starting to get impatient, "I promise."

L took a deep breath before letting it out and curtseying before him, "Love Beir at your service Monsieur Destler."

He sucked in a breath and through a hand behind him, as a voice from the past rang in his ear. "You shall be doomed to live an immortal life, until you find love."

As he sat he gazed up at the young woman before him, "I've found Love."


	6. 6 Breakfast at Nadir's

Previously on Trust Your Instincts...

L took a deep breath before letting it out and curtseying before him, "Love Beir at your service Monsieur Destler."

He sucked in a breath and through a hand behind him, as a voice from the past rang in his ear. "You shall be doomed to live an immortal life, until you find love."

As he sat he gazed up at the young woman before him, "I've found Love."

"Yes. Yes, I hear that a lot. It seems to be everyone's favorite pick up line." Love rubbed her neck sheepishly, "That's why I have always gone by L professionally."

Erik could only stare at her.

Nadir could only watch and try to not to laugh at the irony.

Love looked up to see how the dark gentleman's eyes seem to have glazed over and his hands lay limply at his sides.

She knelt before him, carefully holding his hands in her own. "You are freezing. I'm going to go get you some gloves."

His hands tightened around hers, but she patted them and reassured him she would be right back, before leaving to go upstairs to her rooms.

"Her name is Love, daroga."

"Indeed it is."

"You knew, you brought her here."

Nadir shook his head, "I didn't expect the two of you to meet so soon." He took a sip of his tea, "She came a week earlier than she had originally planned. The kind girl even stayed in a hotel for the time, not wishing to inconvenience me. I didn't know she was in town until the day she came into the shop introducing herself in person."

"You didn't plan for us to meet." This time blazing golden eyes met with Nadir's calm ones.

"I was planning on introducing you two once she got settled, however I must confess I couldn't have planned it any better than how it happened naturally."

Erik had opened his mouth for a retort, only to close it quickly as he heard the soft steps coming back down the stairs to the main level of the residence.

"Oh good you are looking better already." The blonde's trademark smile lit up her face. "Here are some gloves, I made them for my brother so they should fit you I would think." She kneeled before him so she could put them on, before reaching out to adjust the knit gloves on his hands, "They are a bit tight but they should be good for now. If you like I could make you some?"

Erik peered down at where she still kneeled holding his hands. His fingers tingling from where she had touched them. His tongue was tied, he had never failed with words before but as she stared up at him with her forest green eyes he found himself speechless.

"Your brother?"

"Yes, my twin Eros. He's actually coming for a visit in a month."

His fingers tightened around hers instinctively, his old fears coming to the forefront. He didn't like the idea of someone else having her attention, her gifts. His mind chided him and told him not to scare her away.

"I'd like him to meet you…" Her whole face went from paleness to blush in a matter of seconds, "Well if you would like to, that is."

Nadir grinned over his tea.

"His wife and him are coming for fashion week. He actually has some designs that I think would look stunning on the both of you. I will have to see if he can spare a couple."

"Now that I think about it, Eros, as a brand name does sound familiar." Nadir leaned forward a bit at this new information.

"Yes, well that's my brother's design brand. He was inspired by his name at a young age to study history and myth alongside myself. However, he went a whole different direction. He is quite good at what he does. He's actually having an exhibition during the week."

A squeeze of her fingertips brought her eyes back to the pair of golden ones that hadn't left her.

"I told him how I made a friend in my first week of Paris and he couldn't get enough of it. Although I might have tweaked a couple facts on our first meeting. Despite everything my brother can be very protective and him knowing I was exploring a no trespassing area of the opera might get his brother instincts in overdrive."

"What did you tell him?" Erik looked into her eyes, trying to see her intentions.

"I told him I met you exploring the opera on my own, and that we decided to explore the rest of the day together. Then made a date for the next day to explore the city."

Erik nodded, she spoke the truth to her brother without telling any details that might betray the true nature of their first meeting.

"So…" She smiled at him, "What finds you our way this fine morning?"

"He was trying to find.."

"I wished to invite you to breakfast." Erik interrupted Nadir while trying to ignore his smug look.

From how Love's eyes twinkled she could tell as well, but she merely grinned her pearly whites flashing at him; "I'll make breakfast then, it's still a bit too early for the Parisians to have any cafes open."

Lbxedxlbxedlbxedlbxedlbxedlbxedlbxedlbxedlbxedlbxedlbxedlbxedlbxedlbxedlbxedlbxedlbxed

It became a new little tradition for the two of them, Erik would come in the morning for breakfast.

Sometimes Nadir would join, however depending on the time of morning at times he was already manning his shop.

Nadir watched as the two grew closer and couldn't help but feel hopeful for the first time in a long time. Perhaps this time Erik would be able to come to know what true love is, no irony intended.


End file.
